No Homo Bro
by SpockoYo
Summary: That in which Gabriel Reyes ends up housemates with Jack Morrison, which entails a lot more than you would expect.. Otherwise known as ; Gabriel Reyes, barista and BMX champion, ends up housemates with Jack Morrison, farmer and...super soldier? { Reaper/Soldier76 }
1. Chapter 1

The reasons as to why Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison ended up in the same old, small apartment were simple and short, as there shouldn't be any reasons in the first place. Gabriel Reyes liked to be alone, silence and sleeping in late. Jack Morrison enjoyed the company of others, often times finding any topic to have a conversation over. Music was often a necessity for him, even listening to it in the kitchen as he served breakfast at 6 am sharp every. Goddamn. Day.

Gabe and Jack were polar opposites, and if they had any say in it, they would never step foot in the same apartment, nonetheless live in the same apartment. Yet a simple Craigslist ad posted by a chirpy woman who enthusiastically explained how she was moving out to live with her girlfriend, who apparently was promoted to manager of a nearby cafe called 'La Griffe'.

Lena, the girl selling the apartment, mentioned that the cafe was hiring, and Gabe knew his lousy, underpaying job at McDonald's wasn't gonna help with rent. Upon inquiring how much the pay was at La Griffe, Reyes realized the pay was significantly better than being a fast food worker. His hourly wage would increase by at least a few dollars, and he made a mental note to apply. Buying an apartment from the girlfriend of the manager would surely give him a few kudos points, so it was worth the shot.

The apartment wasn't amazing by any means. It was 300 square feet, and if Gabe had any say he would get the fuck out and live in a nice loft. Yet working at a cafe in Chicago wouldn't get you a loft, hell it could barely get you this apartment. Hence why Gabe required a housemate which earned a number of grumbles and complaints as he opened his laptop on the old couch he'd somehow shoved up the stairs and into the small living room.

Craigslist was the best bet, as the few friends Gabe had on Facebook already had a place or didn't even live nearby. He didn't feel comfortable with using Craigslist. The number of horror stories coming from that website could give even a grown man goosebumps. However, Gabe needed someone else to help pay rent so he could save up his own money for both moving, and focusing on improving his BMX skills.

Gabe wasn't sure who would ask to live with him as any sane person would live somewhere bigger than 300 square feet. There were two bedrooms, both rather small and separated by a tiny bathroom. The only selling point was that they lived rather close to the Navy Pier, so getting an apartment as cheap as they did when they were within walking distance to the pier was rather amazing. But then again, did Gabriel mention how fucking small it was?

He got a number of calls, yet very few were able to pay for the rent. $1,600 was no small feat, as Gabe would have to pay $800 a month. That meant overtime, and lots of it. The small number of people who could pay for the rent were...odd to say in the least.

One man who met Gabriel at a local Starbucks spoke in a thick southern accent, cigar hanging out of his mouth. At first, Gabe wondered if he was cosplaying as a cowboy for some convention he had no knowledge of, yet when he asked the man Gabe was given the startling realization that no, he was no cosplaying.

One woman who Gabe met up with was from Antarctica, which was rather interesting. Yet yet upon meeting her, her sweetness and optimism was giving him cavities. She had such hope for the world, voice sweet and caring and Gabriel rejected her almost immediately. He felt some guilt as she looked sad at the lost apartment, yet he reminded himself he was a grown man, dammit.

The last person Gabe met was, you guessed it! Jack Morrison; farmer from some boring place in Indiana with bright blue eyes and a dangerous smile. He was down to earth, genuinely interested in Gabe whenever he spoke and seemed like a good guy. If there was someone else who Gabe could accept into his humble abode, other than a fucking cowboy and walking sugar, he would. Yet it seemed as though Jack Morrison was the only candidate, and with a long sigh, Gabriel Reyes accepted him into his home.

There weren't a lot of rules for the apartment, yet the few that were in place were important and crucial for this agreement to work. Most of them had been submitted by Reyes, and one or two had been suggested by Jack, which wasn't surprising.

First things first, if you wake Gabe up 7:30 you'd die.

Secondly, if you use up all the hot water in the shower, you die.

Third, if you play loud music, you...die.

Fourth, if you eat any of Gabe's food, you buy it back along with another one.

Fifth, if you bring back anyone from the bar, don't fuck on the couch, near the couch or anywhere in the apartment besides your room. If you fail to comply, you die.

Sixth, don't lie. If you lie, you die.

Upon seeing the list, Jack looked up at Gabe from under his brows, a small grin forming at the corner of his mouth. The list was rather amusing with all the threats of homicide, yet he wouldn't put it past Reyes. The man was damn terrifying with his stern look and tough demeanor, yet Jack was sure he had a good heart. It would just take time to prove his theory.

"May I make a suggestion?" he asked, and his response was the arch of a brow from his housemate. Jack cleared his throat, trying to bite back his smile as he looked down at the paper in his hands. "No red meat around me please," Jack requested, and he couldn't help his smile at Reyes expression.

"You're a farmer," Gabriel said, and Jack rolled his eyes, taking a pen from the coffee table and writing his own rule.

"Yes, and killing the animals for meat wasn't too pleasant," Jack chimed in, and he chuckled at the grumble from Gabe as he handed the list back. "You may not agree, but if you don't listen you'll die," Jack mumbled, voice gruff as he impersonated Gabe. His housemate shot him a dirty look over his shoulder as he hung the list up on the fridge.

"Fuck you I'll eat as much steak as I want," Gabriel hissed, and Jack shook his head, opening his mouth to retort before being interrupted by ringing from a phone. It wasn't Morrison's, and so Reyes pulled his phone from his pocket to answer the call.

"Yes, this is Gabriel. An interview? Right now? Yeah…" Gabe checked the watch on his hand before rolling his eyes, holding the phone between his shoulder and head as he pulled on his jacket. "I'll be there in ten minutes, yes, goodbye." With a quiet curse, Gabe tucked his phone in his jacket pocket and pulled on his shoes, quickly looking in the reflection of the fridge and messing with his hair.

"You look fine," Jack assured him, and he earned a swift glare.

"You eat my yogurt you-"

Jack raised his hands in a surrender position with a cheeky grin, finishing Gabe's sentence for him. "I'll die, I get it. I won't eat it," he said, and Gabe nodded before running out the door, only to tumble back in and grab his bike from the closet. "Don't get hit by a car!" Jack called as Reyes tumbled down the stairs to the sidewalk, door slamming shut.

Silence overcame the room as Jack was left to himself, the TV only providing a soft hum in the background as the news played. With a sigh, he got to his feet and grabbed an apple from the fridge, re-reading the list in thought. He laughed softly as he grabbed the pen, adding on one more addition before retreating to his room.

 _No killing._

* * *

By the time Gabriel stepped foot back in his obnoxiously small apartment, the sun was setting over the horizon of buildings and traffic. He would stop at a coffee shop and just sit and watch, yet exhaustion was weaving itself into the fabric of his shoes with each step he took. La Griffe had hired him thankfully, yet the bitch of a manager put him through some quick, short training without any heads up.

He resumed training the next day, and every day after that. The weekend was the only time off he received, yet Gabe knew better than to think that as set in stone. He needed to pick up extra shifts as soon as he started, and had to put in for as much overtime as he could. The only knowledge Gabe had of Jack's income was that it was hefty, and Morrison promised he would always be on time when it came to rent. Yet trust wasn't familiar to Reyes, so he knew better than to assume.

Jack's 'job' seemed sketchy, in the least. He didn't think the kid was some drug lord who dealt cocaine and shit, but it definitely didn't seem... legit. There was no uniform, no name tag, nothing. When Gabe had asked a nervous smile had come onto the kid's face with a dismissive wave, and that had put enough suspicion in his chest to last for as long as their deal did.

But he supposed once their rent was due for the first time he would get an idea of how their living arrangement functioned, and he could work as much as he could or take more time off to practice BMX.

With a long sigh, Gabe shoved open the door to the apartment, kicking his shoes off into the wall. He didn't care about the skid marks as he threw off his coat on the coffee table and crashed onto the couch. The couch felt heavenly on his back as he sank into the springs and cushions, emitting a low groan of relief as he closed his eyes.

He had no idea where Morrison was but at the moment he didn't care. The long day finally caught up with him as he began to doze off, the soft hum of the TV lulling him to into the familiar grasp of sleep. However, a sharp voice through the thin walls stirred Gabe from his nap, slowly blinking himself awake.

With a quick look around, Jack wasn't anywhere in sight, so he must've been in his room, which was just behind the wall where the TV was drilled into. Gabe yawned as he sat up, still tempted to go back to sleep yet deciding his bed was more comfortable than the old couch. As he slowly walking to his room, Morrison's voice rose behind the walls in obvious anger

Gabe stopped, frowning as he stared at his housemate's room. He didn't take Jack as the angry type, yet maybe he got in a fight with his girlfriend or boyfriend or...whatever. He didn't know what kind of person Morrison was into, and really didn't care. What he did care about, however, was getting some sleep before the start of his shift at 8 in the morning.

Reyes raised his hand to knock and threaten homicide if Jack didn't shut up yet hushed words stopped him. Narrowing his eyes, Gabe pressed his ear against the wall in an attempt to hear better.

"I told you… I'm not interested-" Jack was cut off by whoever was calling him, and there was a defeated, agitated sigh. "I do need the money but-..." Another interruption and he could practically feel Jack's anger through the wall that separated them. "Fine...I'll be there at 9 tomorrow...Yes, sharp."

His voice was resigned as the call ended, and the squeak of his bed signalled movement. Afraid he'd be caught snooping, Gabe quickly walked into his room, shutting the door just as Jack's opened. Confusion was hot and tight in his chest as he sat on his bed, grogginess completely overridden by intrigue.

Clearly, he caught Jack speaking of his secretive job, which his housemate did not seem very fond of. It sounded as though whatever agreement there had been was falling apart, yet Jack needed the money. His boss or whatever was taking advantage of that, and his theory of illegal work became strengthened.

He still couldn't imagine farmer, vegetarian Jack as a drug dealer, but hey, what did Reyes know? He'd met a fucking cowboy in his quest of a housemate, so clearly Chicago offered plenty of surprises.

Yet as Gabe fell asleep, he couldn't help but shake off the feeling that something more was going on with Jack. Something secretive, something deadly.

Something dangerous, and Gabe didn't like it.

Not one bit.


	2. Chapter 2

In between working 12 hour shifts of training to become a barista at La Griffe and practicing BMXing, Gabe didn't have much time to think over the conversation he'd heard. He briefly wondered if he was purposefully making sure there was no time to wonder what Jack was doing to earn rent money, and shrugged it off. There were more important things to focus on, like his job, his BMXing and getting enough sleep.

Due to his schedule, Gabe didn't seek Jack very often. The only times they crossed paths was in the morning when Gabe would wake up to Morrison in the shower. In a limbo between sleep and consciousness, he often slumped down on the wall outside the bathroom and drifted off until Jack would finally step out.

Sometimes Gabe would completely fall asleep while waiting for his shower, and would wake up to Jack poking his nose with a cheeky grin on his face. Reyes would wake up to bright blue eyes alight with mischief, and he often grumbled and slapped Jack's hand away with a swift, "Dude stop that's gay."

When Gabe finally managed to step into the bathroom for his shower, Jack's laughter would be loud as it echoed throughout the apartment. It was infectious, as far as Gabe was concerned. That dumb laugh would bring a small smile to his face as he hopped into the shower, only for all grogginess to be shocked away by a blast of cold water against his skin.

"Morrison!" he screamed, and that laughter grew even louder.

But he couldn't bring himself to kill him, even if every morning shower was bathed in cold water and loud music from the kitchen.

La Griffe was as pretentious as it sounded. If someone ever named a cafe in French then it was as arrogant and snobby as how French it was. But Gabe kept those thoughts to himself as he was trained by a cold woman with high expectations and even higher standards.

She taught him to serve everything on the menu in just one day, and expected all menu items to be perfected by the end of the next. That meant staying after hours to learn how to make a foam leaf or heart, which was as hard as it sounded, if not more. Gabe grew a new hatred for foam, which was something he'd never expected would earn his dislike, but hey, the world was surprising.

It was even more surprising when he would slump his way into the apartment at midnight, shoes lazily pulled off by the other foot and apron thrown over a chair. Every night he would collapse on the old shitty couch, falling asleep quicker than he could get to the tenth sheep. There would be no undressing into his pajamas, no reaching for a blanket to keep him warm, nothing other than just sleeping right then and there.

However, when he found himself awake at whatever ungodly hour he would be covered in a warm blanket and a pillow under his head for support and comfort. There would be eggs sitting on the coffee table, along with coffee as dark as it could be. Jack would cook Gabe everything he loved in the morning before hopping in the shower to use all the warm water, and at first he suspected it was to prevent future homicide. Yet once Gabe began to shower with warm water and with a quiet kitchen, he knew it was for more than that.

But there was no time to mull over Jack kind actions as work began at 8 and went until 11 at night. Instead he would quickly thank the farmer as he quickly pulled on his shoes and tied his apron over his uniform. Jack would always raise his own mug of coffee up as he peaked over the newspaper in his hands, eyes crinkling in the corner with a hidden but genuine smile.

They developed a ritual over the first week of their agreement of living together. Gabe would pass out on the couch at 11:30, when he finally returned home, and would wake up at 7:30 to breakfast on the coffee table and Jack in the shower. Once Gabe was done eating, Jack would walk out of the shower and wave to his housemate to inform him the bathroom was clear. With a swift shower and soft music from the kitchen, Gabe would get in his uniform and leave at promptly 7:45.

Yet it only really dawned on Gabe that he knew nothing of Jack's ritual, only his own. He had no idea what time he got home, why he woke up so early when his shift started at 9, and so on. In all honesty, it bothered Gabe like an itch you couldn't scratch. Training as a barista was busy enough, but while he was practicing making fucking shapes out of foam his thoughts often wandered.

He wondered what Jack's mysterious job was, why he was always so happy, why his eyes were so goddam bright and-

"Gabe!" his manager hissed, and said man looked down to see his foam leaf completely fucked up. It looked like a deformed penis. With a soft groan he turned to apologize, yet Amelie raised her hand with a side eye that could kill. Gabe clamped his mouth shut as she took the coffee from his hands, drinking it. With a soft hum, she set it back down with pleased eyes, and Gabe could practically fall to his knees and praise God for finally succeeding at a menu item. "Tastes like shit, redo it," she told him, and Gabe's hand itched. He could practically commit homicide right then and there, yet he forced a smile to his face as he turned to make the dish yet again.

Amelie walked away to go do whatever Satan did at noon, and he quickly turned around and gave her the bird. There were soft chuckles to his side, and he looked over to see a woman hiding her smile behind her hand. She was beautiful, and Gabe would usually flirt with her if he wasn't prepared to commit mass murder. This job was more important than banging a pretty girl, he told himself, yet the tightness in his chest told him there was more to it than that.

"She's really hard on newbies, but after a few months things get easier," the girl comforted him as she finished making some fancy cake slice. The name tag on her apron revealed her name to be…

"Mercy? What kind of name is that?" Gabe blurted as he frowned, returning to his work. There was a soft giggle from Mercy, and a quick glance revealed a fond expression on her face. Weird…

"A nickname," she informed him, and Gabe hummed in acknowledgement. Last time he checked, nicknames were more like "Fucktrumpet" and "Prick Dick", not "Mercy".

"What's your real name then?" Gabe asked.

"Angela," she told him, and a hand was abruptly thrust towards him. With an arched eyebrow, he looked from her hand to her expectant face and swiftly shook her hand.

"Gabe," he replied. A happy smile brightened her face, and Gabe quickly turned to resume his coffee.

What was it with these blondes and their smiles?

Angela made idle chit chat with him as he perfected his dumb foam leaf and she continued to make cakes and whatever the French made. Croissants, probably. She was bearable to speak with despite her optimism and so on. She often spoke of how she wants to help make the world a 'better place', mentioning she was studying at a nearby college to become a doctor. He could definitely see her treating patients, what with her reassuring smile and calming voice.

However, their conversation was quickly interrupted by a woman named Satya peaking into the kitchen. "Hello, I have a man named Jack here to see Gabe," she told them, and Mercy looked over at him with wide eyes and a mischievous smile on her lips.

Confused and with a frown, Gabe left his perfect coffee behind to go to the front register. Farmer boy was sitting at the register, dressed in a long jacket and scarf wrapped around his neck. A soft smile was on his lips as he saw Gabe, and the man walked forward to greet him.

"Jack, what are you doing here?" Gabe asked, ignoring Satya, Angela and a number of other employees 'subtly' watching from afar. He knew he was gonna deal with gossip later, even if there was nothing to gossip over.

Morrison shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets as he obviously tried to warm himself up. "Just wanted to visit. Heard this cafe was pretty-"

"Pretentious? Arrogant?" Gabe interrupted, and Jack chuckled under his breath, a noise that made the hairs on the back of Gabe's neck stand straight up.

"I was gonna say elite, but sure we can go with that," Jack joked and Gabe smirked, both men looking at each other in an awkward silence before Jack cleared his throat, looking back up to the menu behind Gabe.

"I hope you know I'm not an official employee so I can't really make-"

The air turned cold as someone walked up to Gabe's side, and his stomach dropped. He could get to his knees and pray to God for forgiveness for whatever sin he committed to earn this as he turned to see Amelie with a tight smile on her face. "Actually ,Gabe, you can handle this. Consider this...your test," she suggested and Gabe nodded, body going stiff as he looked to Jack who seemed perfectly aware of how tense Gabe was.

A small smirk came to Morrison's face and Gabe shot him a subtle, dangerous look as he stopped to look at one drink in particular. Gabe prayed that it didn't involve goddamn foam, but of course Jack would torture him. Underneath scrambled eggs and a warm blanket, Jack was a mischievous asshole, which was surprising as Gabe took him as an oblivious farmer's boy.

"I'll get a cinnamon vanilla espresso topped with a foam leaf," Jack said, and Gabes jaw tightened. There were snickers behind him at the sound of Jack's order, and Gabe forced a smile to his face.

"That'll be eleven fifty," Gabe told Jack, who pulled out a ten, a one and four pennies. A flicker of mischief was in his damn blue eyes, and Gabe briefly asked God what he did to earn this, yet silence was his answer. He hadn't killed anyone so he considered this a test of his anger management skills and preventing his homicidal intentions.

After a moment of fumbling for change, as math was never Gabe's strength, Reyes dropped the change in his housemate's hand. "Go to the end of the table, and your drink will be ready shortly," Gabe bit out.

Jack turned to follow his instructions before turning back on his heel, a considerate look on his face. For a moment, Gabe wondered if he was going to apologize, but instead Jack said, "Strange request, but can you make it in front of me, please? I like to see what I will be putting in my body."

 _How about a knife? Or maybe a bullet? Or maybe a knife AND a bullet!?_ Gabe thought as he nodded, the snickers behind him growing louder at Jack's request.

Gabe's heart was pounding in his chest as blood thundered in his ears, pressure weighing him down as he went to complete Jack's, or asshole's, order. He was quickly swept up in the art of making his espresso, getting lost in grinding the coffee beans and ingredients. It was evident he was passing this test was flying colors until it was time for the foam.

Gabriel had never once thought in his life that foam would be his biggest enemy, but life was a jackass. Just like Jack, who was watching with smug eyes and crossed arms.

Fuck Jack. Seriously... _fuck Jack._

With a deep breath, he began to make the leaf with shaky hands, focusing harder than he ever did on a dumb standardized test. The leaf began to make form, and he could feel Amelie watching over his shoulder. He bit his lip as he finished the leaf, a beautiful foam drawing presented as he gave the drink to Jack, who looking impressed.

"Suck it," Gabe hissed as Jack took the drink, and Morrison winked as he turned to leave.

"Anytime," he replied, and so Gabe was left there with the second surprise of the day. Had Jack just said he would like to give Gabe a-

"Reyes, you start tomorrow. 8 am sharp," Amelie interrupted and Gabe could practically cry in relief. He went to thank Satan but she raised a hand. "Don't think I like you, cuz I don't," she sighed as she turned to go where Satan went at noon.

Gabe turned to face Angela, who clapped happily, and Satya, who gave a thumbs up before returning to her position at the register. A man clapped Gabe on the back, and with a quick glance to his name tag he saw that it was a boy named...Genji? Gabe held back his comments as Genji said, "Welcome to La Griffe."

Gabe had never thought he'd be happy to work at a pretentious French place, but hey, money was money. And if Jack would be visiting…

Reyes shook his head as he turned to leave, grabbing his bike to go and practice BMXing, But as he got onto the sidewalk to go and ride to a skate park, he noticed Jack who had his back to him. Two larger men in black suits were in front of him, and based on Jack's body language the conversation they were having wasn't too friendly.

Gabe frowned, debating interrupting before one of the suited men reached into his coat, a gun evident in his hand. Jack shook his head, looking defeated as the men turned to walk away. Jack took one last drink of his espresso before tossing it into the trash, rubbing at his face before following the men.

Reyes would have followed if it wasn't for the fact that he could be shot and killed, and watched them get inside a black car with tinted windows. Strange…

With a quick photo with his phone, Gabe captured the license plate number and made a mental note to run it through whatever website he could later. He sighed before getting onto his bike, speeding off to work off his nerves at the skate park, but no matter how fast he went, Jack wouldn't leave his mind.

Gabe got home around 10, which was rather early for him. He planned to take a nice, hot shower and then watch some Seinfeld or Friends, however once he stepped into the house he was greeted by Jack on the couch, asleep. At least he knew when Jack got home, or roughly when.

There was nothing strange with Jack sleeping on the couch, and Gabe at first just walked right by to go into the bathroom and get clean after his long day of BMXing. However, he noticed with a spare glance to Jack there was a deep gash on his forehead, and a black eye. His stomach dropped in his chest as he noticed his wounds, and he quickly reached into the freezer for some ice, dropping it into a ziploc bag. "Holy shit," he hissed as he plopped down next to Jack, who was stirred by the movement.

His housemate slowly came to, clearly not alarmed by Gabe's presence. He must've not realized that Gabe had noticed his wounds until he saw the DIY ice pack. His eyes widened and he got to his feet, startling Gabe immensely.

"Jack, what the hell happened?" Gabe quickly asked before Jack could rush back into his room to hide. Clearly what happened to Jack was meant to be a secret, something no one else should notice. Morrison had been anticipating Gabe returning in another hour or so, ignorant of his break.

"Nothing," Jack quickly hissed, putting as much distance between him and Gabe in their small ass apartment. Gabe didn't understand why Jack was acting like he'd just walked in on him fucking his mom or something, but upon remembering the earlier sighting of Jack with the Men In Black or some shit, he realized it was related to his job. "Just...just leave me alone, okay? It's nothing, I promise," Jack bit out before Gabe could ask if something had happened at his job.

Morrison was in his room faster than Gabe could even get to his feet, even more confused and worried than before. Was he living with a fucking drug dealer, or was their something more sinister going on here? Maybe he was apart of the mafia, which was suggested by the nicely clothed men pressuring Jack to do what they said.

Whatever it was, it wasn't good. Could Gabe get involved?

With a deep sigh, he sank back into the couch, digging the palms of his hands into his eyes as he simply sat there and thought. Farmer boy gone wild? Definitely seemed like it.

There was a ring from his phone and he fished it out of his back pocket, seeing a text from an unknown number. He frowned, unlocking his phone to read it.

 _Stay out of this, or Jack will no longer be Jack,_ the text read, and Gabe's frown deepened. A threat? Oh hell no. Gabriel Reyes did not take threats.

 _ **Leave Jack and I alone, or else I will get the authorities involved,**_ Gabe texted back, and he watched the person texting him type for a few moments before Gabe went still, stopping every movement as his breath caught in his throat.

 _Silly boy...we_ **are** _the authorities._


	3. Chapter 3

Gabe didn't get much sleep that night, as he was rather fearful of being sniped by some elite military soldier. He'd never really quarreled with the government, as it usually did not end well with those who did. There was so minor resentment he felt for it however, as reports of police brutality and corruption rose. He'd never been one for rules, and he openly admitted that. There'd been plenty of times in which he'd broken the law, yet he'd never been caught, hence why there'd never been a direct conflict between Gabe and the government/authorities.

But leave it to golden boy Jack Morrison to get him involved with the authorities. There was clearly more to him than just being an aggravating, but kind farmer, yet he wouldn't admit to it. First the phone call, then the sighting of Jack being escorted by some Men In Black kind of guys, and it was all topped off with a cherry of a direct threat from the Men In Black.

The few hours he'd drifted off for were riddled with nightmares of being shot at, and seeing Jack die in front of his eyes. He'd often woken up with goosebumps on his skin, tangled in his blankets and sheets as sweat dripped down his skin. Seeing those blue eyes go from bright to nothing at all haunted him when he closed his eyes, and soon he resorted to opening his laptop for something to do.

Yet despite all his concentration on Tumblr and Reddit couldn't distract him from the nagging voice in the back of his head, whispering threats and revealing his fears. Even the music he pumped into his ears couldn't silence his conscience, and soon he was pulling up a website in which he could run license plates through. He wasn't sure if running the authorities' license plates was a good idea, and if it would alert them, but with some deep breaths he reminded himself he was fucking Gabriel Reyes, not some little boy afraid of possibly breaking the law. He'd spray painted walls, stolen things from the store, and so on. There was no reason as to why he should be frightened.

 _Because of Jack_ , that nagging voice reminded him, and Gabe sighed, hitting enter and watching the search filter and buffer. The moments in which Gabe waited to see if it would work were agonizing as red, hot anxiety rushed through his veins, heart thundering in his ears. _You could get him killed for this,_ **YOU** _could be killed for this,_ his thoughts hissed.

With another deep breath to try and steady himself, Gabe ran his hands through his hair and pulled, trying to focus on the stinging instead of the voice. He was already anxious enough not heading the text message's threat. His own head didn't need to be more of a dick to him.

There was a small ding from his laptop, and Gabe eagerly focused back on the task at hand, narrowing his eyes as he read over the results. It was definitely military, yet he couldn't find out where it belonged to. There was no information provided as to where it frequently visited, or what toll booths it passed through.

Gabe groaned loudly, dropping his head into his hands in defeat. There was the ring of his phone receiving a text before he could start cursing under his breath, and the anxiety returned, making the hairs on his neck stand up straight. This was it. This was when Gabe received a text counting down the seconds he had before a bullet was put square in his head. He slowly reached for it, memories of his life flashing before his eyes as he read over the number, one he didn't recognize.

With a swift swipe of his finger, the text revealed itself on his screen, and Gabe began to pray in rapid Spanish. Yet, there was no countdown, and Gabe frowned, his prayer trailing off into surprised silence.

 _If you're gonna masturbate can you please quiet down? I don't need more nightmares :P_

Gabe ignored the heat in his cheeks as he typed a quick, _**Who is this?**_

 _Who do you think ?_

There were a few emojis that consisted of a cow, coffee and...an eggplant?

 _Dios Bueno,_ Gabe thought, squeezing his eyes shut as he rubbed at his temples. He contemplated sending a text back to Jack "Troll" Morrison but settled on confronting the man in person. Gabe was like that, after all.

He got to his feet and shuffled out of his room, turning on the hallway light as he grumbled and knocked on Jack's door just once before opening it. Jack sat propped up against the wall, smirking at his phone before looking up at him with mischievous eyes. Gabe opened his mouth to make a snarky comment but found no words when he realized his housemate was shirtless, revealing a rather attractive body and...scars and bruises? The attraction Gabe felt faltered at the sight of the bruises, and if Jack noticed he didn't show it.

There was a ring from his phone and he looked down at it in his hand, seeing another text from his shitstorm of a housemate. _Didn't take you as the gay type, Reyes,_ the text read, quickly followed by another text of eggplants and water droplets.

Reyes glared at him before slamming his door shut with a loud groan. Loud laughter echoed in the room he'd just exited, and Gabe ignored the way his heart fluttered with the butterflies in his stomach. Despite the humor of the situation, he couldn't smile or join the laughter Jack emitted.

Even the cold water that pelted his body and skin couldn't distract him from the situation, which was far from funny. What the hell was with all those bruises? Was it normal to get so many scars from being a fucking farmer? Last time he checked, getting scars from harvesting _corn_ wasn't that dangerous. But then again, Gabe was just an urban troublemaker, glued to his bike and desperately trying to make money. He was used to spray paint stains and drug wars, not waking up at 6 every morning to feed the chickens and milk the cows.

What could the authorities want with Jack? His eyes were too bright to be darkened by a gun being pointed at his head with each passing day, making the man do their bidding. Was the government conducting some form of tests on Jack, or something more dangerous, something so evil that it had to be hidden from the public? It bothered Gabe more than it bothered Jack, clearly, and he wondered if it was because he lived with Jack and would be in danger if Jack went AWOL, making Gabe the last person who saw him.

But even if he didn't admit it, Gabe cared about the bruises and scars on Jack's body not because of his own health and safety, but because of his housemate's.

There was a soft knock on the bathroom door before it opened, jarring Reyes from his thoughts. "What the fuck, Morrison? I'm kind of naked here!" he hissed, wrapping the shower+ curtain around his frame as he peered out at his housemate. Jack clearly didn't care as he looked over at the angry, naked man.

"What? I have to brush my teeth! Busy day today," he told Gabe, feigning innocence that only blonde boys with bright blue eyes could get away with. Reyes narrowed his eyes, ignoring the way the smirk on Jack's face made him feel.

"Couldn't you...oh, I don't know, wait five fucking minutes?"

Jack continued to brush his teeth, looking up in thought before making eye contact with Reyes through the mirror. He spit out his toothpaste, an act that should've been repulsive but oddly wasn't, and simply said, "Nope! Now hurry out of the shower before it's cold or else I'll _**kill you!**_ " Gabe rolled his eyes at the horrible impersonation of himself, sighing as he turned off the water, reaching for the towel on the nearby hanger. "Mmm, thanks!" Jack said as he snatched it from his hands, rubbing the excess of toothpaste of his face as he exited the room.

With a low growl, Gabe pulled on his boxers and opened the door, yelling a swift, "Fuck you Jack! I'm gonna-"

"Commit homicide? Commit a mass murder? Hmm, in what? Plaid boxers?" Jack said, looking over his shoulder with that cocky grin of his before entering his own room.

Reyes sighed loudly, rubbing at his eyes in exasperation.

What did he do to deserve this?

Gabriel Reyes was not a chit chatty person. In fact, he favored avoiding all human contact, but for some reason, God hated him, and that resulted in him ending up working at the front desk from 8 until 12:30, which was his break. After that, he did inventory and helped Angela make cakes and whatever else dumb coffee shops sold to try and convince their customers they were fancy. Which meant that their hipster customers would watch him make their drinks during _rush hour_.

Either God hated him, or he was correct in his theories that Amelie was the spawn of satan herself. He was leaning towards the latter, but the former was rather convincing as well considering his morning with Jack.

By the time his break was nearing, Gabe was falling asleep on the glass display of all their fancy, overpriced shit. His feet begged for relief, but if Amelie caught him slacking off she would surely do some satantic ritual to punish him. And it didn't take a genius to figure that a satantic ritual usually ended poorly. Which meant that he had to be sneaky and precise as to when to doze off. Satya was a dear as she usually stepped on his ankle to jar him awake, making it look like he'd just been hurt instead of waking up.

Just as he began to take off his apron so he could run over to Subway to get a nice sandwich, the door opened and the annoying bell began to ring. He groaned silently, rubbing at his temples to relieve the anger and headache he began to experience. There was a snicker from Satya, which he presumed was due to his expression until he saw who was ordering.

Jack "Satan's-right-hand-man" Morrison was looking at him with wide, expectant eyes, lips twisted into that goddamn irritating cocky smile. Gabe's stomach churned on the sight, and he was tempted to bend over and puke so he could be dismissed, which wouldn't be too hard to do as he noticed the Men in Black outside the shop. His heart stuttered, eyes widening noticeably when he noticed their presence.

One man was pressing his finger to his ear, mouth moving as he looked over his shoulder, making eye contact with Gabe through his sunglasses. In fact, a little bit of vomit did rise in his throat at the sight, and Satya looked at him with a worried expression, placing a hand on his shoulder with a soft, "Gabe? You look rather-"

Said man grabbed the trashcan on both ends and emptied the pathetic contents of his stomach into the trash, eliciting a soft "ewww" from behind him and a loud laughter of "Dude! Somebody's got a crush on Morrison~!"

 _If only they knew_ , he told himself as he continued retching. A hand returned to his shoulder, and Gabe weakly looked over, expecting Angela but instead finding Jack, concern painted openly on his face. He opened his mouth to make a witty remark about how Jack must be disappointed this was how he first had Gabe bent over for him, but he continued to puke.

There was a sound of French-infused disgust to his side and he knew he'd been busted by Satan herself. Jack's hand disappeared and Gabe was pulled to his feet by the scrawny witch who looked at him with unconcerned eyes. "Go to the backroom, _now_ ," she hissed, and Angela and Satya hooked their arms underneath him, dragging him away from the front desk.

"Who knew Satan would be French," he groaned as he finally sat down, stomach still turning viciously. A bucket was thrust into his hands and he began to dry heave, wondering what a pathetic sight he must be to Jack, who was standing a few feet in front him, arms crossed.

Angela rolled her eyes at the comment before tucking some of his loose hair behind his ear affectionately, and he looked up at her with questioning eyes. "You're not my mom," he groaned, and she looked over at Jack who stepped forward.

"Go help Amelie," Jack sighed, taking Angela's place as she rose to do what Morrison said. Satya looked between the two of them, noticing Angela's pointed looks and her clearing her throat very audibly. Satya picked up on the hint, getting to her feet while explaining she'd get him a glass of water to help ease his stomach.

And so that left Gabe alone with Jack, who had his hand awkwardly on his shoulder, clearly trying to show his support. "Ya know, if I made you this nervous you could have just told me," Jack offered to break the silence, and Gabe gave him a nice side eye. Morrison chuckled under his breath, a sound that made Gabe start dry heaving from how nervous and anxious he was. "But seriously, are you okay, Reyes?"

 _No,_ Gabe thought, but he knew he couldn't openly admit that. That would be destroying his tough guy persona, which he'd taken plenty of pride in. So he went for the obvious excuse, "Yeah, I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Ya know, new job and all," he lamely excused, and based on Jack's expression he clearly didn't buy it. But oh well, Morrison didn't need to buy it, he just needed to hop off and let Gabe try to figure this out.

"Are you sure? You don't see like yourself," Jack pushed, and Gabe resisted the urge to dry heave again, instead swallowing roughly and closing his eyes. His heart was beating hard and irregularly in his throat, and there was a sudden surge of anger, of worry, of fear and-

"What? In the three days we've known each other you suddenly know me," Gabe spat, moving his shoulder to remove Jack's hand, which hung limply at his side now. The air turned bitter and tense as Gabe frowned down at the trash can, guilt and regret churning his stomach even more.

"Fine, be an asshole. Why the hell did I even think this could work," Jack hissed, getting to his feet and adjusting his coat. He stormed out of the room, stopping in the doorway to cast one more look over his shoulder Gabe, who pathetically removed his eyes from Jack's back to focus on the trash. "Hold it in, because it will come back out," Jack spat before swiftly leaving the store.

Gabe saw Angela look over at him with wide eyes, worry evident on her face as he slowly got his feet, dragging the trash can with him. His hands gripped the doorway to keep him from collapsing and spilling his guts out on the floor...again, but his grip did nothing when he saw Jack get in a car with the same license plate and same men closing the doors. One man touched his ear, saying words he couldn't hear or make out before looking at Gabe.

Said man dropped to his knees, spilling his stomach out again, eliciting more angry French and more of Angela's worry.

Angela drove Gabe home around 10:30 after he somehow pushed himself through the rest of his shift, only puking a few more times before become somewhat stable. She insisted on bringing him to a doctor but he refused, eventually snapping at her. He'd expected her to shut up and leave it like Jack did, but instead she bit back, telling him to stop being an asshole and let her help.

That resulted in him slamming the door outside of the apartment, pressing a nice set of two middle fingers against the window before wrapping his jacket around him tightly to suppress the cold wind. She honked at him, but he didn't turn, instead entering the apartment and slamming the door shut in obvious anger.

However, once he entered the apartment, he noticed none of the lights on, yet there was flashing from the living room. Gabriel kicked off his shoes, leaving his coat in its usual spot as he slowly walked into the living room. To his surprise, Jack had fallen asleep in Gabe's usual spot, remote in hand while he snored loudly.

"Asshole," Gabe snorted light-heartedly, turning to rummage the fridge for more of his yogurt. Yet to his surprise and anger, the last yogurt he'd been saving for tonight was missing and he narrowed his eyes, looking back to Jack. His homicidal intentions returned when he noticed the empty carton knocked over on the table. "Oh, you…" He trailed off, throwing his hands up in the air as he stalked over towards farmer boy.

He flicked on the light, prepared to chew the _fuck_ out of his housemate when he stopped, noticing something...red and long on his face. Gabe slowly approached him, turning his head to get a better look at his left cheekbone. A long, bloody gash was disrupting his otherwise perfect skin, and bruises surrounded it. "What...the fuck?" he whispered to himself, prepared to wake up Jack and demand to know what happened when there was a ring from his housemate's phone.

Now, Gabe wasn't the snoopy type. In fact, he liked to mind his own damn business and just focus on himself. But after the past few days filled with anxiety and threats from fucking Barack Obama's squad, he'd lost all respect for his morals and grabbed Jack's phone. He swiped left, encountered with a lock code. With a quick glance to Jack, he typed in 0000, and gained access.

"Dude, you are so living up to the blonde stereotype right now," he said as he pulled up messages, opening the text from the unknown number. There were a series of messages exchanged between Mr Hick and the Men in Black, but the most recent one caught his attention.

 _Remember your mission. Any inconvenience will be removed. Anything, or_ _ **anyone.**_

Gabe's stomach churned again as he looked from the phone to Jack, and he was surprised to see yet another text pop up from the unknown number.

 _Including you, Mr Reyes._


	4. Chapter 4

To say Gabe was a fucking wreck would be an understatement. Gabe was beyond being a wreck; he was the fucking Titanic; split in half and lost to the depths of the ocean forever. Although he wasn't that poetic, so he blamed that thought on sleep deprivation.

The reasons as to why he was so fucked just began to stack up with each day and with every hour. First, he wound up with golden boy farmer as his housemate, who insisted on using all the warm water and playing loud music. And then he'd found out that he was being tangled in some top-secret Men in Black shit, tied together with earpieces, untraceable license plates and threatening text messages. And to top it all off; Jack Morrison ate his fucking last Yogurt.

What an asshole.

There was no hope for sleep after receiving his second threat from the government, and when he heard Jack finally wake up and grumble as he entered the bathroom to take a leak he didn't even chew him out for eating his yogurt. And Gabriel Reyes liked his fucking yogurt.

Instead, Gabe spent the night with his eyes glued to his laptop screen, searching every possible source for information about his situation. He learned of secret government programs, of spying on citizens through various means. By the time it turned to one in the morning, Gabe had hung all his blankets up over the corners in his rooms and all windows in his room.

To say Gabe was a fucking wreck, in short, was an understatement.

He only found the familiar comfort of sleep after he slowly sneaked into the kitchen, finding some of his old, somewhat illegal medicine. He hadn't dabbled in drugs for a long time, not after seeing the people around him slowly die and get caught by the police. Growing up had been hard, hands dirty with drugs and petty theft. Yet once he finally looked at his bloodshot eyes in the mirror and realized he was throwing his life away, he'd wiped his hands clean and become a man, providing for himself and his family until Chicago offered promising opportunities for his underground skill: BMXing.

And now he was working at a French cafe. That said enough about the quality of his life and dreams at the moment.

To throw away his years of being drug free just for some sleep to cope with the intense anxiety and paranoia made his heart thunder in his ears as he closed his eyes, trying to just _think._ Gabe could put the pills back and try to tuck his head under the pillow, focusing on the soft hum of traffic and not think of the surveillance he was under, of what Jack may be doing to earn money for rent. Sleep could come, yet it was unlikely. Was he willing to take the chances?

Nope.

So with a deep breath, Gabe poured some of his old pills onto the counter, quickly filling up a cup of water before he could change his mind. His hands were shaky, and as he picked up the pills he dropped them, watching the small tablets jump up and land by his toes. With a curse, he leaned down to pick them back up. But before he could swallow them or even get the medicine in his mouth, the light to the kitchen flickered on and Gabe turned with wide eyes, grabbing his cup and raising it to been thrown at the Men in Black who had obviously infiltrated his apartment to wipe his mind and make him a husk for experiments and-

"Gabe?" Jack asked, rubbing at his eyes with a loud yawn. With a shaky sigh of relief, Gabe growled under his breath, setting the cup down as he leaned against the countertops. He ran his hands through his hair as he tried to prevent himself from another anxiety attack, ignoring how Jack looked under the light glow of the ceiling lights. His hair was messy, blond locks looking as though Jack had been experiencing restless sleep before being woken up. And he was shirtless, a fact Gabe let him focus on just so he could steady himself. At least, that's what he told himself anyways. "What are you doing? It's…" Jack's goddamn sparkly blue eyes flickered from the clock to the watch on his right hand, expression confused and groggy.

"2 in the morning… Thanks genius, glad to see you can read," Gabe snarkily bit back, finally tearing his eyes from his attractive housemate before it could become more awkward than it already was. I mean, nothing could top when his ma walked in on him jerking off to gay porn, but having his hot, possible drug lord or secret government agent walk in on him about to do drugs.

Well shit.

Jack smiled softly before nodding, taking a seat at the other side of the counter top and looking at Gabe with concerned eyes. Said man groaned internally at the thought of another "Are you okay? Do you need the doctor? He can help you, Reyes" talk. The last time he'd received such talk had ended with two middle fingers in the windshield of Angela's car, and if he couldn't handle _Angela_ then there was no way he could handle smartass Jack at 2 in the fucking morning.

"Are you-"

"Don't," Gabe interrupted, taking a long drink of his water and trying to place his pills somewhere without getting Jack's attention. But Jack wasn't dumb, and Jack wasn't just another oblivious blonde, farmer boy. His eyes were sharp and quick, showing a precision Gabe had only seen in the men on the street with scars on their skin and nightmares in the night. There was just one quick glance towards Gabe's hand and Gabe knew he was fucked.

He took a deep breath, praying to God and thus...hell was unleashed.

Jack slammed his hands down onto the countertop, chair flying back and hitting the ground. Gabe winced at the sound, and the anxiety flared hot in his chest, but Gabe had been in more trouble than this… But then again, Jack was related to the government, so could he be arrested?

 _Well, shit,_ Gabe thought as Jack threw his hand in the general direction of the pills. "Are those fucking drugs, Gabriel?" he yelled, and Gabe couldn't help but flinch at the sound of his full name. Full names were never a good sign.

"No, they're sleeping pills. Chill the fuck out, Morrison," Gabe sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose to try and quell the oncoming headache. He'd had a shitstorm of a day and he didn't need to be chewed out by a privileged white boy who had his entire life set for him from the beginning of time. He knew his thoughts were rude and unwarranted as Jack had been nothing but kind and a dickead to him, but he was nearing being awake for 24 hours and a sleep deprived Gabriel Reyes was not a pretty Gabriel Reyes.

Jack scoffed and rolled his eyes, stalking over to him and reaching to grab the pills. Gabe smacked his hand away, taking an instinctive step forward towards the taller man. He only then realized their height difference, which was kind of anticlimactic and did nothing to boost Gabe's confidence in the situation. Jack peered down at Gabe, whom crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side. "Don't fuck with me, Golden Boy. You don't know what the fuck I've been through," he hissed, and Jack rolled his eyes, laughing bitterly.

"You wanna bet?" Jack spat, and Gabe frowned in confusion. "You were born in Los Angeles, and grew up in a dangerous neighborhood. You were forced into gangs for protection of your family and dealt drugs for money to provide for them, and a close friend of yours died from the gang wars. Another friend died from a drug overdose, and soon you got your shit together and got out of that neighborhood," Jack whispered, and Gabe stopped, eyes wide at the summary of his childhood coming from a man he had just met.

"What the fuck?" Gabe said as he took a step back, hands clenching in anger at how his privacy had been invaded by some guy he has just met. "Who the fuck do you think you are, acting like you _know_ me?" he growled, knuckles hurting from how badly he was clenching them into fists. "You have no goddamn right to-"

Whatever plan Jack had, it worked. His movements were quick; shoving Gabe to the side and stepping into where he once been. It disoriented Reyes long enough for Jack to grab the pills on the counter and fling open the cabinet, pulling out Gabe's stash. The drugs had been stored in regular Ibruprofen tabs, hidden under the numerous pills each one held. "No!" Gabe yelled, seeing his one hope of sleep disappearing into the bathroom along with Jack. He tripped on the rug as he raced after Jack, not regaining quick enough to prevent the sound of all the pills, including the harmless ones, being flushed down the toilet.

Gabe felt like such shit, in all honesty.

Jack walked back out, looking down at Gabe with a pitying expression. Reyes hands clenched into fists as he got to his feet, prepared to take his anger and hurt and fear out on farmer boy before Jack grabbed his wrists. "Don't," Jack warned, looking at him with such haunted eyes that Gabe was taken back enough to listen. "Don't make me hurt you," Jack whispered, and Reyes yanked his wrists out of Jack's grasp.

"Too late," he growled, stalking back into his room. He couldn't ignore the familiar feeling of loss, of betrayal. He had no idea what he did to deserve that, besides the obvious. Jack was why he needed the drugs, why he needed the medication to make the fears, the paranoia go away.

Being watched brought back too many memories from his neighborhood, where guns were chosen over words and vigilantism over law. The only difference was that now it was truly personal, with Jack a few feet away and the Men in Black having eyes everywhere.

But he knew better than to be so selfish, it was just difficult to admit it was not Jack's fault. Those eyes said more than being in agreement with the Men in Black, and all previous encounters Gabe had witnessed supported that theory. Jack was being terribly hurt by them, by whatever organization they belonged to. The government supporting them just made it worse.

If Gabe wanted to get better, he needed to stop the treatment Jack was receiving. Once Jack was free of whatever abuses he endured, Gabe would be too.

But he knew as he held his pillow over his face to protect him from the shadows in the dark, this was not just about him. This was about Jack.

He just wouldn't admit it.

When Gabe stirred himself from the limbo of being awake and asleep he'd endured for the past few hours, Jack was at his door, dressed in a white dress shirt and…

"Are those fucking Captain America pajamas?" Gabe asked as he sat up in his bed. Jack had a soft smile on his face, but he saw the cheekiness underneath.

"I have no shame," Jack admitted as he walked forward, passing Gabe a cup of coffee. Gabe looked up at him from under his brows and Jack took a sip, signalling him that no, it was no drugged.

"You'd think I'd be sick of coffee by now after making it so damn much," Gabe thought aloud, and Jack chuckled underneath his breath,

"Maybe you should make me a nice espresso without puking from fear of being in my presence," Jack sighed, looking up in mock thought. Gabe rolled his eyes.

"As if. I puked from how disgusting you looked….look, sorry," Gabe said, and Jack gave him a quick middle finger before going to exit his room. Gabe couldn't help but watch him leave, knowing there was still something left to be said. Jack wouldn't avoid last night; Farmer boy didn't roll like that.

"Oh, right, you have a doctor's appointment today. 2:30," Jack said nonchalantly before looking at him with mischief and worry in his eyes. There was a small smirk on his lips that Gabe tried so hard to ignore but couldn't. "Rule Number 6," Jack sighed, and so he left.

"Those are my goddamn rules!" Gabe hopelessly called after him, stomach churning with anxiety over the new information. Of course Jack would do a good guy thing. He _was_ the good, golden farmer boy after all. And Gabe...well, Gabe was Gabe.

And Gabe was sure the universe had decided he was an asshole...and possibly gay.

For a farmer boy who was recruited by the government which was hellbent on spying on them both.

Even Satan would be cringing at how cruel the situation seemed.

After a moment of confused silence, he cursed to himself, quickly fishing out his phone to tell Satan herself before stopping and wondering… How the fuck did Jack get the authority to make him a doctor's appointment?

Oh right.

 _The Government._

"Thanks Obama," Gabe joked, and he knew he was in desperate need of that doctor as he sat in his room, laughing at his own joke.

By the time Gabe arrived at La Griffe, it seemed as though Satan, Amelie, had truly made the cafe her realm. There was flour caking the backroom/kitchen walls, and Angela was caked in it head to toe. Frosting stuck to the sole of Gabe's foot as he entered from the back, getting into the crevices as he wiped his foot off with a silent 'ew what the fuck'.

At the sound of his voice, Angela spun around and looked as though she could weep. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him towards her for a hug, but he put his hands up to prevent the flour spreading to a new host. Either hell had literally broken loose, or Gabe was suddenly a chick magnet. He leaned towards the latter, but knew it was far from reality when Angela looked at him with wide, haunted eyes. Gabe felt as though Cooking Mama had been handed to fucking Stephen King or some shit.

"What the hell is going on here?" Gabe finally managed to bite out, and Angela opened her mouth to speak up when there was a loud yell from the actual cafe. Gabe furrowed his eyebrows, looking from his friend's horrified expression to the doorway. He patted her shoulder in fake confidence and walked towards the front desk, earning a dramatic cry from Angela as she urged him to return to safety.

When he reached the front desk, he noticed Satya and an Egyptian women standing against the wall just outside the doorway to the front desk. He looked at them with a confused expression, and the Egyptian women popped a bubble with her gum. "Some brothers having a spat," she explained, and Satya rolled her eyes.

"That's an understatement. Amelie is gonna be pissed," she sighed as she pulled out her phone, shaking her head.

"Thanks for the help," Gabe said as he entered the front desk. There was only one other employee who was at the front desk and yelling loudly at whomever had unleashed hell itself upon the cafe, better than Amelie ever could hope to. He turned around, and Gabe stopped in his tracks. "Hey, didn't you wanna be my housemate?" he asked as he was greeted with the fucking cowboy again. Said cowboy tipped his hat with a friendly smile.

"You betcha. Fancy seeing you here," he greeted with a southern accent, but before they could catch up and talk about how bad Gabe feels about now letting him be his housemate, for obvious reasons, a plastic cup filled with coffee crashed into the wall behind them. They both ducked with expert reflexes, and the cowboy sighed before turning to the source of the chaos.

Gabe looked over the food display to see a number of people in the cafe, only a few sitting and watching as two men fought and screamed at one another. One man wore traditional Japanese garb while the other wore…

"Is he a fucking power ranger?" Gabe asked the cowboy, and he seemed to seriously think over it as he rubbed at his chin. But before he could get a reply, another cup of coffee came whizzing past Gabe's face. "Holy shit," he whispered, and the cowboy agreed.

There were chairs thrown aside, and tables flipped over as the men pointed at one another and continued their vicious spat. Yet despite how close they got to one another to scream in their face, there was no physical aggression. If the three people who remained in the restaraunt were frightened, they didn't show it. Two men, one scrawny and the other not, sat in a booth sipping their coffee while cheering them on. One girl was recording it on her phone while giggling madly. It was when the older man threw a punch at his power ranger brother did Gabe intervene, going through a small gate that allowed them access to the actual cafe.

"Hey! Hey!" he yelled before grabbing the older man's arm to hold him back. That earned him a dangerous glare as he yanked his arm back, adjusting his clothing and smoothing back his hair.

"This does not involve you," he hissed, and Green Power Ranger scoffed, and damn, his cosplay was good because it sounded robotic. The man looked back at his brother with a quick, vicious movement and Gabe could collapse from how exhausted he was with the shitstorm of his life for the past week.

"Uh, yeah it does. You trashed the cafe...the cafe I work at," Gabe sighed, looking at them as though they were dumb. The old man finally seemed to realize what he had done, and turned to observe the chaos. There was cake smeared along the glass wall that showcased the inside of the cafe from the outside, along with a number of spectators watching with wide eyed fascination. Coffee soaked the white tile floors, sticking to Gabe's shoes as he turned to look at cowboy.

Said cowboy whistled as he observed the damage as well. "Well, you sure do know how to make an entrance," he remarked, and the old man scoffed and rolled his eyes, looking at his brother up and down before leaving. Power Ranger bowed with a foreign goodbye, hopefully apologizing before departing as well.

And so Gabe stood there, confused as hell as he just witnessed one of the strangest occurrences, which was saying something considering the past couple of days. The scrawny man threw down a few dollar bills with a disappointed grumble, and the other one made a deep noise that Gabe assumed was a laugh as he pocketed the money. The girl in the corner sighed in disappointment, putting her phone away as she stood to leave.

"Nice coffee!" she said before leaving, and Gabe turned to looked at cowboy, who shrugged.

There was a loud, shrill screech from the doorway to the front desk, and Gabe felt his heart drop. He turned to see Satan revealing herself with a horrified expression. She looked from the cake on the walls to the stained floors to Gabe's face.

"I didn't do shit. I just got here," he explained and she looked as though she had just gotten stabbed in the boob or some shit. She threw her hands up and made a silent scream before turning and stalking off to do whatever Satan did.

Cowboy chuckled before pulling out a cigar and lighting in. He leaned up against the countertop where they prepared coffee, taking one that was left alone among the chaos and taking a sip after a drag. "You don't see that everyday," he remarked, and Gabe groaned.

He was too old for this shit.

Amelie closed the shop for the day for obvious reasons, and on his way out to retrieve his bike and go practice BMXing, Angela walked up next to him, clearly having something to say. Gabe looked over at her and she caught his eye, stopping in her tracks to say something. But when she opened her mouth, she closed it, having difficulty finding what she had to say.

"Spit it out," Gabe sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn't mean to be rude, but it was one of those days. Ya know, those days where he got one hour of passable sleep, had to go to the doctor or face the government's wrath and just had to stop a fight between a guy and a fucking power ranger.

Angela didn't look hurt by his comment and instead seeming to understand. She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear with a sigh. "Listen, I want you to know that I'm here for you," she started, and Gabe sighed, looking up to the cloudy sky as though he were asking God Himself 'why?'. She jokingly punched his shoulder with a soft smile, acknowledging how her own actions were affecting him. "Shut up, you deserve to know that you're not alone. I'm always here for you. You have my number in your phone, remember?" she reminded him, and he nodded.

"I know, but really, Angela-"

"Mercy."

"...Mercy, I'm fine. Okay?" he insisted, but he knew he wasn't convincing anyone if he couldn't convince himself. She watched him with sad eyes for a few moments before nodding, pulling her coat against her tighter to preserve heat. The Lake's wind was relentless and bitter.

"Okay… I have to go. See you later," she said, strutting off towards God know where. She was probably going to go bake cakes to cope with the flour disaster.

Gabe watched her leave before looking at his phone, seeing a text. He frowned, opening the message up only to see it once again an unknown number. The cold air against his skin felt as though it were nothing as a shudder shook his body, hairs standing up as he read the message.

 _We see you. We want you._

Gabe had seen plenty of movies, and he often bitched about how people never stayed calm. "Just chill the fuck out," he always said, but right then and there as he turned around in a repeating circle trying to find the Men in Black, he couldn't chill the fuck out. His one hand grip on his bike was hurting his hand but it felt numb in his fear.

Another text came through, and he looked down.

 _Behind you._

Gabe whipped around, prepared to throw his phone at whoever was there and fucking put his glutes to use but he stopped, nearly collapsing in relief and anger.

There stood Jack Morrison; a shit eating grin on his face with his phone held high, capturing a photo of Gabe shiting himself.

Gabe threw his bike down at Jack's feet, pointing at him in the most menacing possible way after being exposed. "Fuck you, Morrison. That shit was not fucking funny," Gabe hissed, yet Jack's expression didn't even remotely change. That shit eating grin remained and mischief was bright in his eyes despite the clouds in the sky.

"Now I see why you needed those drugs, Reyes, but coffee usually does better," Jack offered, earning another long glare from Gabe. But Gabe couldn't stay mad at Jack no matter how hard he tried. That face broke all negative emotions that festered, and only enforced the positive ones. Like the fluttering in his chest as he saw Jack pocket his phone and reached back towards his backpack. A coffee was exposed in his hand, and was offered to Gabe, who took it after a few moments of consideration. No sane man would turn down caffeine in Gabe's current situation, so that made him feel a bit better about himself.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he grumbled before taking a nice long swig of the drink. The coffee was bitter, but it helped him stay grounded. The panic was still making him jittery, goosebumps littering his skin. "Thanks."

Jack smiled at him, an expression that made Gabe quickly look away. He blamed the heat in his cheeks on the coffee, looking down at the ground. He felt like a fucking schoolgirl or some shit he was not supposed to feel like. Ugh.

"Why aren't you working?" Morrison finally asked, and Gabe gave him a pointed look with wide eyes. Another grin came on his face, anticipating hearing the story when there was a ring from his phone. Jack looked down, joy draining from his face as he looked up and aimed his gaze past Gabe. Said man followed his eyes, seeing a familiar car parked maybe 10-15 feet away.

Any comfort Gabe felt drained away with Jack's happiness, face turning pale and breath catching in his throat. He could practically feel the eyes on him, picking him apart and piecing him back together.

When a hand pressed itself against his left shoulder, he practically punched Jack who had surprised him. There was no anger or mockery in his face at the sudden threat of injury, but instead an understanding and comforting smile. "I have to go. See you later, Reyes," Jack said before leaving him behind, dumping his own coffee in the trash.

A man stepped out of the car, opening a door for Jack. Gabe watched with horrified curiosity as the man closed the door, looking from the car door window to him himself. Those eyes were everywhere, in his room, and it gave him the same feeling; dread. It felt as though he were about to be waterboarded or whatever gruesome shit the government did to bad guys.

But Gabe wasn't a bad guy…

Right?

With a deep breath, he tore his eyes away and got onto his bike, speeding away as fast as possible. He got to the skate park he practiced at, which was thankfully only littered with a few other people who practiced their respected talents.

There was one specific spot Gabe always went to, however, where he hid in the shadows the cement offered and simply thought. He stared at the sky, hands clasped on his knees. Gabriel wasn't a religious man, but he believed in some divine intervention.

So for the first time in years, he lowered his head and prayed.

At 2:25 sharp, Gabriel entered a fancy looking clinic which was rather large and expensive looking. He couldn't afford this kind of healthcare. Hell, he couldn't even afford a nice steak, for fuck's sake. Not when the goddamn Power Rangers wrecked his work.

But clearly they were expecting him, as a woman at a desk opened her window and spoke his name in a soft voice that almost calmed him. He nodded and walked towards her, providing his information before being told to wait.

There were only a few other people in the waiting area, some reading magazines and some on their phones. There was one, however, who simply sat and stared at the door that separated them from the rooms for inspection and care. It was a woman with long pink hair, body built of muscles and strength. She looked as though she were troubled, and so Gabe sat closest to her.

Her eyes only flickered to him when he sat down before returning to the doors, waiting for something to happen. Gabe didn't know what, but he was pretty sure someone would come out and escort each of them to a nurse and then their doctor.

"What are you doing here?" she finally asked, voice a thick Russian accent. Gabe looked at her in surprise, not expecting her to speak or even look at him again.

"Uh...my housemate set up an appointment for me," he told her, and she made a noise of recognition before falling silent again. He watched her in confusion for a few moments, noticing how unspoken words were still thick in the air.

"I'm sorry then," she apologized, and he frowned, not liking the feeling he was getting from this exchange. Was she threatening him? Was she about to shoot up the place or-

A woman's voice said Gabe's name, gaining his attention. He looked over to see a woman waiting for him, and he got to his feet, looking from the Russian woman to the nurse. She looked from his eyes to the door, and he went to follow the nurse.

The nurse gave him a kind smile before escorting him to a scale to get his weight and height. He'd lost a few pounds, which wasn't surprising considering the stress he was under and that Jack insisted on eating his fucking yogurt. After writing down his data, she brought him to a white room with pictures of flowers hung up.

"The doctor will be with you in a few moments," she told him, and when Gabe went to thank her, she was already gone, door shut. He frowned, noticing how she didn't mention his doctor by name.

Weird…

Gabe sat down, pulling out his phone to see a few texts from Angela.

 _Gabe_

 _Gabe_

 _Gabe_

Said man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a deep breath.

 **What**

 _GABE!_

 _Thank goodness ur here... I need ur help_

 **With?**

 _Do i make vanilla cake or chocolate cake_

 **Uh...vanilla?**

 _Oh… I see… you like it nice and white aye ? ;)_

Gabe was very pleased he was at the doctors so that way if he had a heart attack from his high blood pressure he could possibly not die. But considering how high his blood pressure had just ridden, survival was slim.

 **Stop.**

 _Hahaha_

Thankfully, before Gabe could reply the door slid open to reveal a woman stepping in with a clipboard in her hand. She held out her free hand so Gabe could shake it, and promptly sat down afterwards.

"Hello Gabriel! What brings you here today?" she asked, and he supposed he should be honest. Considering his lack of drugs to help him not become more of a nervous wreck, he might as well try and get some new legal drugs to help him.

"Well Doctor…"

"Amari," she said, holding out her hand. Gabe shook it with a small smile, and she waited for him with kind, old eyes.

"I... I have trouble sleeping. I feel like I'm being watched and it drives me insane," he admitted, and she nodded, writing something down quickly before stopping, expecting him to continue. He didn't know what else there was to admit other than… "And... And I'm having bad anxiety," he told her, feeling ashamed of being held down by such a pathetic reason.

She sighed before pushing her glasses up on the top of her head. "And do you believe you are being watched?" she asked him, and Gabe's cheeks flushed hot from how dumb he felt. But before he could chicken out of the truth, she placed a hand on his knee. "I know how humiliated you must feel, but please understand. These feelings are okay, because you are seeking treatment. Everyone experiences anxiety, and everyone can get better from it," she reassured him, and Gabe felt somewhat better. But it still ruined his tough guy persona he felt as though he had to live up to.

"...yes...I do," he finally bit out, rubbing at his eyes from the exhaustion he felt. Dr Amari clearly noticed as she grabbed a small flashlight from her pocket and shined it in his eyes.

She tsked at him in a way a mother would and asked, "When was the last time you slept?"

Gabe stopped and honestly had to think about that question. "A day and a half, I think?" he guessed and she sighed loudly before writing something down. She shook her head.

"You kids nowadays don't take care of yourself better. Here, let's get the usual examination out of the way and you can pick up some sleeping pills. That should help with the anxiety, as most of it stems from sleep deprivation," she told him, and Gabriel sighed in relief, fantasizing about the sweet, sweet sleep he would soon be getting.

He merely let Dr Amari do whatever it is doctors did with their weird tests and took a piece of paper from her to give to person at checkout. As he was walking to the exit, he noticed the woman from before still sitting at the waiting area, gaze still focused on the door. Gabe frowned, unsure of what to think. Was she mentally ill? Was she…

He didn't have time to think as a man bumped into him, making him drop his papers. Gabe was prepared to tell the guy off until he apologized sporadically, dropping down to pick up the papers they'd both dropped.

"I'm so sorry man. I just gotta get to my daughter's school to pick her up," he apologized, and the anger died in Gabe's throat.

"Hey, it's okay," he told the guy who gave him a big smile before running off past checkout. Gabe watched him leave, looking back to see the girl only to find her gone. He frowned, shaking his head with a dismissive "what the fuck" as he approached checkout.

The woman working checkout ordered his prescription and gave him some papers to bring to the local CVS. As Gabe left, he looked up to the sky and thanked whatever divine entity had given him a break.

Sleep had never sounded better.

Gabriel got home at roughly 6pm to an empty apartment, marking off that time on the list of 'When does Jack Get Home from His Possibly Illegal Job". He opened up the fridge to find a new yogurt there with a note of 'For the best grumpy grandpa ever' attached to it. Gabe rolled his eyes and tossed the note in the trash, collapsing on the couch and turning on the TV.

The two hours in which he merely just sat and watched Seinfeld were the most relaxing hours of his past week. He couldn't help but start dozing off, only waking himself up to take his new medicine.

After finishing his yogurt he slumped back onto the couch to doze off to Seinfeld, being pulled into a blissful dream of puppies and butterflies and… Jack?

It was dark when he woke up to something jumping onto his legs. He frowned, blinking away the grogginess he felt and ignoring how his stomach churned for some unknown reason. Gabe felt rather sick as he regained consciousness, but he ignored the feeling and looked down at his feet.

To his surprise, Jack was sitting at the other end, draping his feet across Gabe's. Gabe groaned and snuggled back into his pillow, trying to ignore how bony Jack was and how warm he was and... Fuck. Now Gabe was horny.

"Morrison, get the fuck off of me before you-"

"Die? Hmm...kill me with what? Your mean glare?" Jack snickered, and Gabe groaned loudly, trying to drown out how loud the TV was. He fished around for the remote only to grab Jack's knee, a feeling that made him feel as though he'd just been electrocuted. "Whoa, trying to cop a feel, Reyes? My dick is up here," he joked and Gabe flipped him off.

"Turn down the fucking TV before I _punch_ your dick," Gabe hissed, and there was awkward silence.

"Uh...Gabe the TV is on literally 2," he told Gabe, who looked over at him with obvious confusion. 2? That was barely audible, so why was it so goddamn loud?

"Well, turn it down anyways. This medicine fucked me up," he groaned, pulling the blanket tighter around his body. Jack made some quiet comment Gabe tuned out, drifting off to sleep with Jack on top of him.

Despite how shitty Gabe felt, things were okay. Jack was sitting with him, he was getting sleep and there were no direct threats from the government.

Gabriel drifted off to sleep after a few more silent moments, and he woke up to find Jack asleep on the other side of the couch, snuggled under the blanket with him. His toes kept ticking the back of Gabe's knew, and he moved away from the touch, looking at the watch on his hand for an idea of how late they'd slept.

7:30…

Holy shit did that medicine knock him out.

With a silent curse, Gabe threw the blanket off of his body and began to strip his way into the bathroom. Jack stirred on the couch, a soft "what?" tossed into the air for Gabe to hear but not for him to care. He imagined what a sight he must be before he hopped into the shower, quickly cleaning his hair and scrubbing himself down.

He only showered for a few minutes before hopping out and wrapping a towel around his waist, grabbing his toothbrush to quickly brush his teeth. The bathroom door opened and farmer boy lazed on in, rubbing the back of his neck as he yawned loudly. He saw half naked Gabe, and stopped, rubbing at his eyes. "Am I still dreaming?" he whispered, and Gabe groaned loudly, rolling his eyes as he spit out the excess toothpaste.

"You disgust me," Gabe hissed, and Jack blew a kiss to him before turning his hand into a middle finger. Reyes groaned and ran into his room, throwing on as passable of an outfit he could get away with at work. It was only when he was zipping up his pants did he realize he forgot to shave, but before he could complain there was a voice from his door.

"You look fine, honey dearest," Jack said in a high pitched voice, holding a cup of coffee in an outstretched hand. Gabe looked at the cup in suspicious, earning a dramatic gasp. "Really, buttercup? You think I would poison you? I am HURT," he fake sobbed, before stopping. "Actually, yes, yes I would," he admitted, and Gabe took the coffee.

"Just...shut up. Please," Gabe told him, and Jack saluted.

"Yes sir!"

"And don't call me sir."

"Yes-" Jack stopped himself with a cheeky grin, and Gabe quickly drank half of the coffee before handing it back.

"More cream, and-"

"Foam?" Jack suggested, and Gabe was practically triggered at hearing the word. He shuddered in disgust, stomach churning as he pulled on his shoes and grabbed his coat.

"Don't ever bring up that god awful invention around me again or else you-"

"Die?"

Gabe stopped, before nodding. "Yes. Goodbye."

And thus, he was gone. Jack stared at the closed door for a few moments in thought, a weight in his chest as he looked from the messy couch to the coffee in his hand.

"Christ, what have I gotten myself into?" he asked the air, and predictably, the air did not respond. So he took a sip of the coffee, agreeing with Gabe before emptying it into the sink. "Can't believe he needs medicine," he thought aloud, looking at the prescription Gabe had lazily thrown on the countertop after taking them that night. "All because of-"

Jack stopped, the prescription tag catching his eyes. He frowned, picking up the bottle and reading it closer. Horror gripped him with an icy grasp, making him fumble around in the cabinets to find his own medicine he'd carefully hidden. A familiar bottle was found and in his other hand, Jack quickly comparing the two tags.

He looked up at the time, figuring that by then Gabe would not be anywhere close enough for him to run after. "Oh shit," he said, and "Oh Shit' was right.

By the time Gabe arrived at La Griffe, it was 8:00 and he was expected to be at the front desk. He threw his coat onto the hanger by the backdoor, and grabbed his apron. There were a few moments where he struggled to tie it behind his back before hands did it for him. Angela was there behind him, offering a kind smile.

"You look better," she told him, and he nodded, ignoring the churning of his stomach. He felt nauseous and his head pounded, but he contributed it to the sleep deprivation he'd endured and the anxiety. Maybe it was some weird side effects of his sleeping and anxiety medicine.

"I feel better," he told her, and it was a half lie. Gabe had finally gotten a good night of sleep, which did make him feel better. But he felt worse than he did when he had full blown nervous breakdown after seeing the Men in Black outside his fucking work.

Angela seemed to notice something was wrong, but she didn't say anything as Amelie poked her head into the backroom. "Reyes! Get your ass up here! We're swamped!" she yelled, and Gabe looked to Angela with eyes that begged for mercy.

"Satan calls," he sighed, bidding her farewell and approaching the front desk.

Satya was working register as she had some ungodly math skills, and cowboy was helping make the drinks alongside Gabe. The Egyptian woman was giving the desserts and food to customers, occasionally running into the backroom to restock.

In the few days that Gabe worked at La Griffe, it had never been more busy than then. And it was obvious why.

Apparently some viral video had spread throughout the internet of the fight that went down here, and soon people wanted to eat where a samurai fought a fucking Power Ranger. They were swamped, in short, and maybe that's why Gabe didn't notice it right away.

His headache suddenly began to crash down on him, a ringing in his ears as everything became louder, and louder until it was deafening. He began to wince, faltering in his job enough to get cowboy's concern. A hand placed itself on his shoulder, steadying him as he began to wobble. "Partner? You okay?" he asked, and the eyes that were on fellow customers and the menu turned to him as he began to breathe heavily.

Gabe turned to leave the front desk, grabbing the wall that held the menu as he dragged himself to Angela. She could help, there was a reason why she was called Mercy right?

But he didn't make it that far before he dropped to his knees, emptying his stomach on the floor right then and there. People screamed in disgust and he could Amelie screeching from the sight, but soon it turned silent as he looked up to see Mercy reaching for him. She looked terrified as she looked from the ground to his face.

"Fucking Morrison," he groaned, and he resumed to vomiting as people screamed in horror.

Except it wasn't vomit.

It was blood.


	5. Chapter 5

Jack was not just a farmer, contrary to Gabe's words and beliefs. His entire life was not spent waking up at the asscrack of dawn to help with the animals, to collect eggs and milk the cows. He did not harvest the miles of corn his family insisted on planning. "For the neighbors and the less fortunate," his mom always said when Jack brought it up, a kind smile reaching her eyes.

No, Jack was more privileged than that. And he accepted it.

He attended a good high school, participating in as many sports as possible. First, he tried football, only playing it until he graduated because his father insisted. "A good sport for a good man," he told Jack, hands clasped on the back of his neck in a reassuring manner. With that description, he assumed it seemed as though he hated football, but he didn't. He enjoyed football, but it wasn't his passion.

Baseball wasn't his passion either. He found the game too quick, for his taste. Step to the base, hit the ball and run like the devil was after ya. His cousins loved to come watch him play, sitting in the stands with his too big caps and handed down jerseys. They'd cheer him on obnoxiously, but it was cute to him. When his team won the championship each year, he gave them his trophy and medal, autographing their own baseballs. He felt silly doing so, but the glint in their eyes made him feel less so.

They joined baseball once they were old enough, and before Jack moved to Chicago he went to every game, seeing them wear their own hates and jerseys.

Jack's passion was golf. Sounded dumb, and at first Jack thought it was dumb. But once he was dragged along enough times to the local golf course by his friends and family, he found himself loving it more and more. There was something in calculating your every move. You had to _think_ , something rare in the fast paced games he'd found himself in for a number of years.

He was talented at golf too, earning a number of awards and prizes for his skill. There were a number of scholarships by the time he was a senior in highschool, but that meant nothing to him. Not when his father became ill.

"Colon cancer," the doctor told him in the hallways of a hospital in Chicago after they drove him there in hopes of better treatment. Jack had popped the tire 3 times driving there, well over the speed limit despite the knowledge that getting there wouldn't make the cancer go away. The cancer would never go away.

The doctor speaking to him was a man around his father's age, wrinkles making him look tired and weary. When he wrote, his hand shook, but Jack didn't mind. This man was the best shot at his father surviving, even when there was very ltitle hope.

"Stage four."

Jack looked back towards his father, who was holding the hand of his mother. She looked nowhere other than her husband, knuckles turning white from his tightly she gripped him. Tears hadn't stopped dripping down her cheeks, eyes red and mascara running. He knew she could feel his eyes on her, but she didn't look back.

Without his father, Jack would be the oldest in his family. He would have to provide for his family, and where they lived, there was no other job than what the land offered. But this wasn't just about the money loss, this was about losing his _father._

Jack had stood outside of his father's room for every hour that passed, seeing his mother slowly fall asleep with her head on her husband's chest. He watched the sun fall and the moon replace it, only finding himself being the moon and his dad the sun. The sun helped the Earth grow, and the Moon kept the tides moving.

At first, he didn't even notice the men behind him until there was a stern, "Jack Morrison."

He was naive then, turning around with surprised blue eyes but presenting the charming smile that had colleges and women swooning. "Yes?" he replied, and the two men before him were wearing fitted black uniforms, looking as though they were the secret service. At first, he was put off by their appearance, not even being able to look them in the eyes as they had dark sunglasses. "I'm Jack," he held out his hand, yet the men did not shake it. He grew uneasy.

"We have a proposition for you," one man told him, and Jack looked at them in confusion. Were they from another college? He opened his mouth, ready to refuse until he was interrupted. "We understand your father's condition, and that is survival is slim to none. However, we can cure his cancer," they told Jack, and Jack stopped, laughing without humor.

"Cure cancer? That's...that's impossible," he started, but the other man held up his hand before pulling out a suitcase. The man who had spoken to him reached into the outheld suitcase, pulling out a folder with the official stamp of the military. Jack frowned, feeling his heart stutter. What the hell was going on?

"Read the contents of this folder, and once you have reached a decision, call the listed number. Goodbye, Jack Morrison."

And they were gone, leaving Jack with more questions than answers and a folder in his hand. He looked from the folder to his mother, who was still sound asleep on his father's chest, the monitor beeping steadily. Could they cure cancer? Could they save his father's life?

A few hours later, Jack held his phone in his hand until his call went through. There was silence at first, but he suspected it was purposeful. They needed his answer.

"I'm in."

"Welcome, Jack Morrison."

Never did Jack think his decision would end up with sleepless nights, a beaten body, and his housemate collapsed on the floor of a cafe with blood on his face. Thankfully, the past couple of months had provided plenty of training, and he pushed through the mass of people screaming and sobbing, on their phones with hopefully 911. "Let me through! I'm a medic!" he lied, but it worked. The people stepped aside as he pulled himself over the front counter, landing next to Gabriel.

Angela was holding her hands to his throat, eyes on the watch on her hand as she counted his pulse. She looked up to him with concentrated eyes, clearly prepared for this better than anyone else. "His pulse is racing," she told Jack, and Jack nodded.

"Better than no pulse at all," he said, and she nodded, lips pulled into a tight line as she thought over the situation. He knew she was going over what could be causing Gabe's reaction, seeing her eyes dart left and right as though she were reading a list.

"What could have caused this?" she whispered to herself, and Jack frowned, looking back down to Gabe's face. There was dried blood at the corner of his mouth, and short breaths were making a rattling noise in his throat. Even unconscious, he looked troubled, a scowl on his face. Jack snickered to himself, reaching behind him into a cabinet for a paper towel to wipe the blood away. "Don't be afraid, Gabe," he whispered, fear still turning his blood cold.

"Jack!" Angela yelled, and said man looked at her with wide eyes. She looked as though she had regained some control of the situation, and Jack understood she possibly had a theory. "Has he taken any medication recently? Drugs?"

Jack remembered back to when he flushed all of Gabe's drugs down the toilet, wondering if Gabe had any more or had been abusing before then. But when he'd found Gabe ready to swallow a few tablets, his knuckles had been white, eyes troubled and haunted by unseen problems. It was a look Jack was all too familiar with when he found himself in the bathroom at ungodly hours, nightmares nipping at his heel.

But then there was the matter of his new medicine. It was too similar to Jack's for it to not be related, and he knew how dangerous the medication Gabe had taken was. It was a steroid, but it was a steroid _on steroids._ It was fucking intense, and Jack would know. But how had Gabe gotten the medicine? The doctor he'd scheduled for Gabe wouldn't have prescribed steroids, unless there was sabotage involved. Amari was a longtime friend…

"He may have been abusing drugs or taken steroids," Jack finally bit out, and he saw the motherly look return to Angela's eyes as her fingers ghosted over Reyes' cheekbone. Her eyebrows were furrowed in thought.

"Drugs? Jesus Reyes...what have you done?" she sighed, and almost as though he heard her, Gabe frowned, coughing slightly.

"Did you know unconscious people can still sometimes hear you?" Jack told her and she gave him a nice side eye, copping a small smirk from Jack. Finally, the ambulance arrived, the sirens loud as they pulled up. Angela looked over towards the entrance. "Let's get him up on the desk," Jack suggested and she nodded. He took Gabe's upper half while Angela got his legs, hoisting the man onto the front desk.

Paramedics rushed in with a gurney, quickly asking what happened. As Jack had only just arrived, Angela moved to approach the paramedics and exited the area behind the desk. Jack followed her, listening to her summary. "He began to dry heave, looking like he was going to pass out. Then he just...vomited and passed out," she quickly explained, and Jack nodded to himself. Sounded familiar…

The paramedics locked Gabe into the gurney, starting to pull him out of the building. Jack snapped himself out of his stupor, quickly following. "I need to come," he blurted out, and a paramedic looked at him with an inquisitive look. Jack felt dumb, understanding that he had to be family, and quickly tried to think of a lie. "I'm...his husband," he bit out, and he thought he heard Angela choke behind him. He shot a look over his shoulder, catching her hiding a smile behind a hand over her mouth.

The paramedic followed his look to Angela, almost as though they need confirmation. She nodded, now having a straight, serious face. "They've been married for a few months now. They married out in Vermont," she lied, and when the paramedic looked away she winked at Jack. He could practically kiss her, but he didn't, instead climbing into the back of the ambulance with Gabe.

He wondered what his housemate would say if he was awake. Probably something along the lines of, "This is really fucking gay", which it was. There was no denying that. But Jack only admitted that he was doing this because he was a good man and Reyes was a...friend. He would do the same if he was in the gurney.

He kept telling himself that as they drove to the hospital, holding Gabe's hand loosely as the paramedic did whatever tests required. There was no ignoring how sick Jack felt as he saw the I.V pop into his arm, an oxygen mask put over his lips. It felt wrong seeing Gabe like this. He didn't deserve it.

And soon the grip Jack had on Gabe's hand became sturdy, intentional.

"Please be okay," he whispered, resting his head on Gabe's chest, counting the heartbeats and the seconds that passed.

It was when they arrived at the hospital did all hell break loose. Gabe's pulse randomly dropped, enough to make the paramedics start going into full doctor mode. Jack suddenly felt like his mom when they started pumping things into Gabe, said man's face becoming paler and paler. Could those fucking steroids caused this severe of an issue? Could those steroids kill Gabe?

They abruptly parked, and the back doors flew open as more people greeted them. There were people in scrubs, probably nurses and doctors prepared to treat Gabe. "What's happening?" Jack cried, and no one answered, too busy talking to one another as they pulled the gurney out and through a set of doors into the hospital. He quickly followed them, panic taking control of him despite his copious training to remain calm. "What's happening?!" he cried, and he remembered all too well how his mother acted the same way when his father's condition worsened.

Crying, yelling and silent tears as she paced the waiting room. And soon Gabe was gone, leaving Jack alone where she once had been. He merely stood in this all too white of a room where people passed understanding glances. With a sigh he collapsed into a chair underneath a Television, dropping his head into his hands from the exhaustion and fear that swept through him.

He didn't know how long he sat there, simply thinking and imagining every situation that could happen. He imagined a doctor coming to see him with blood gloves, a soft "He's gone" being delivered. Too often were his imaginations ending in Gabe's death, or worse. It was a relief when a hand rested itself on his shoulder, making him jolt back to reality.

At first Jack assumed it was the doctor delivering the news, but once he looked up he saw Angela with a comforting smile. He returned the smile best he could before looking back down. She took a seat next to him, not saying anything for a few moments. It was obvious she was waiting for his permission or invitation to speak.

"His pulse got worse," he finally told her, and Angela nodded. "...what if he dies, Angela? What do I do?"

Her hand rested itself on his knee, and he looked over at her. Her eyes were wide with hope, but he saw the fear in there too. "What we always do; grieve, recover and move on."

Jack nodded, but he couldn't help but feel troubled.

That's what a soldier did, but Jack was not a soldier.

He was a human.

Gabe wasn't afraid of death. He'd never been. Back when he was young, death was always around him as his neighbors were taken by violence and drugs. His mother would grieve for each loss in her room, praying in Spanish. He'd never been bothered by her tears, which were only seen when a new gravestone was added to the cemetery. She'd always kiss his forehead, telling him that death was natural, that everyone died.

"Everyone will die, nino," she said in their kitchen on a late Sunday afternoon, busy with cooking dinner. The house smelled of her unique soup and salsa, and Gabe sat at the dinner table, eager for her food. The topic of death didn't bother him at his young age, thinking of death as shooting his friends with fake guns in their fake games.

He thought for a few seconds over her words. "Will I die, mama?" he asked, and she looked over at him with a soft, sad smile. She nodded, and he frowned. "I don't wanna die! Then I can't play with Johnny and Desmond," he whined, and she chuckled as she continued to cook.

"Don't worry, Gabriel. You won't die for a long time, understand me?" she told him, and he nodded, saluting her in high spirits.

"Yes ma'am!" he cheered and she laughed her warm smile, the kitchen bright with the sun.

But soon death became nothing like the casual conversation on that Sunday. Soon, Gabe was seeing men be shot in the streets, dropping down behind cars and running while staying as low as he could get. Hushed, "Hurry!"s being exchanged between his friends and him. Cheeky smiles and wild eyes when they got away, high on the adrenaline of being alive. But Gabe soon found their shared comfort dying with each new body.

Johnny's brother had a bullet put between his eyes as they stopped for gas, the noise deafening as Gabe opened the car door, dropping to the ground. The cement scraped his palms as he couldn't make out the screaming from the ringing, pressing a hand to his ear and wondering if he were now deaf. He'd spared a look behind him only to see Johnny's brother's blank eyes staring after him, seeing what he could no longer do.

And soon Johnny shrank back at the sound of loud noises, arms in long sleeves and eyes bloodshot from all the weed. He tried to forget, as anyone would do. But he found himself looking for the next high, for the next night he could lay back and not want to die. Gabe supposed he was pleased when he was finally shot in the lungs after a drug deal gone bad, but that hadn't changed how Gabe had felt.

Soon Gabe began to steal from Johnny's old stash, trying to forget how it was just him and Desmond left on the neighborhood. And Desmond was even stepping deeper and deeper into the pool of crime, disappearing through Gabe's window at night to join his "boys". But Gabe would watch him leave, fingering the pill bottles and wondering how far he could go before sinking into his bathtub and blowing bubbles instead of blowing air.

It was only when Desmond didn't come back and his mom grabbed him by the shoulders, asking why he didn't stop him, why he didn't tell her. His only answer was "Lo Siento" to both his mother, and his corpse at the open casket funeral. There were too many funerals, too many regrets and broken promises. Too many bullets spent on harm and not good, spent of murder and not defense.

Death became the flowers in the kitchen, dying with each passing day before his madre tossed them out, only to buy more. She cared for them the best she could, grumbling in Spanish about how she killed everything she touched. And he wondered if whenever he kissed her cheek and handed her money from the drug deals in the alleys what she said was true to not just flowers, but to him too.

And as he woke up to bright, fluorescent lights, he assumed that was true.

Gabe didn't understand what had happened, his last memory being of going to work. He remembered Angela's bright eyes, soft smile and reassuring words, and how cowboy's fucking facial hair bothered him. But after seeing Jack crossing the street and seeing the cars speed by, there was nothing except a metallic taste and a sharp, stabbing pain in his lower stomach.

After that, an awkward, blank space devoid of any memories, information or feelings.

He assumed he wasn't dead as there was a soft beeping next to him, and with a deep breath he looked towards the noise. But instead of seeing machinery, he first saw the vast city of Chicago sprawling out before him, ending at the line of buildings and the lake reclaiming its glory. It was dark, the sun just lazily peeking over the horizon in a soft, "Hello, Goodbye".

So Gabe wasn't dead, and he was briefly pleased with stepping so close to death only to get away. He felt that same adrenaline he had with Johnny and Desmond; wild smiles and breathless laughter. But look at how that ended for them; six feet under the Earth with bullet wounds in their corpse.

With a soft sigh, he looked back up to the ceiling, prepared to close his eyes and return to sleep when there was a soft snore next to him. Gabe looked so fast that he felt actual physical pain, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the surprise he felt.

There in a chair, unread magazine on the ground, was Jack Morrison, fast asleep and _snoring_. His head was tilted back past the chair, arms crossed and feet propped up on the lower end of Gabe's bed. That perfect blonde hair was messy and greasy, sticking up everywhere. In short, Jack Morrison was still fucking cute even after God knows how long without a shower.

Gabe snickered to himself, briefly mulling over what he should do before settling on the obvious.

Gabe looked down at the small device on his right index finger before taking it off, making the heart monitor flatline. Almost instantly, Jack shot straight up, looking at the monitor and to Gabe as he got to his feet, prepared to get help until he saw that Gabe, the dead man, was actually alive.

Gabe laughed before grabbing his chest, stopping himself as the pain increased. But he couldn't stop being amused at how murderous Jack looked as he collapsed back in his chair, running his hands through his hair. "God fucking dammit, Reyes, don't do that again," he hissed, and Gabe smirked.

"What? Is Jackie Wackie gonna miss Gabie Wabie?" he mocked, and Jack rolled his eyes. He looked like hell, dark shadows under his eyes and eyes bloodshot. Had he been crying? Gabe would ask, but with one pointed look from Jack he decided not to. He looked as though he'd been to the Vietnam war. "So, what's my diagnosis doc?"

Jack took a deep breath. "Wouldn't say I was a doctor, but you have gastrointestinal bleeding, which means your intestines were bleeding, presumably from drug abuse or steroids," he told Gabe, who frowned at the news. He hadn't taken drugs in years, and the only medicine he had been taking was the medication prescribed by Dr Amari.

"That...doesn't make sense though," Gabe insisted, catching Jack's attention. Farmer boy nodded, looking troubled as he balanced his elbows on his knees in thought. "I haven't done drugs in _years_ , and the only medicine I took was-"

"From Doctor Amari," Jack finished, and Gabe looked back to him with furrowed eyebrows.

"Did...did you set this up?" the question made Jack look at him with hurt eyes, and he instantly regretted it. But he had almost died, so he had a right to know. "I mean, I don't think I'm that bad of a housemate but clearly-"

"Shut up," Morrison interrupted with sharp words, and Gabe's mouth clamped shut. Clearly his question had struck a nerve. "If I wanted you dead, I would do it myself. Not drug you or set you up," he hissed, and Gabe couldn't agree more. The guy was buff as hell, and if he was tangled in some illegal web he needed to be strong and capable. And after seeing him shirtless more times than he could count, he knew personally how efficient he could be with those muscles.

Gabe went to apologize, but stopped himself. He knew Jack wouldn't wanna hear it and so he canned it, instead opting for a semi-awkward silence. What did he say after nearly dying? "Hey, I think I kinda have feelings for you but I'm also on the edge of a nervous breakdown so I don't know what to do?"? If he confessed to his anxiety and his ideas of being spied on, he would probably be admitted to the psych ward, which just added to the money he did not have.

So he opted for the awkward silence until there was a knock at the door. Gabe and Jack looked over to see a group of people outside, a doctor speaking to them with outstretched arms and a loud voice even Gabe could hear in his room. Jack got to his feet, clearly confused. "What in God's name-"

The door flew open, and a number of people spilled into the room. Angela was the head of the pack, flocking to Gabe's side and grabbing his hand. "Oh god God Gabe, why didn't you tell me? We could've gotten you help and treatment and-"

The next was Satya, who merely stood behind Angela and observed his body. "You had a 75.79% chance of bleeding out, not good odds, and a 33.4% chance of-"

The next was cowboy, who tipped a hat and lit a cigar, which was definitely against hospital's protocols. At the sight, Jack's eyes practically bugged out of his head, mouth open and ready to yell before being interrupted. "Hey there partner, how ya holdin up? Scared us pretty damn-"

Lena was at the foot of his bed in literally a blink of the eye, a small bag in her hand. "Hey there! I heard about what happened and I thought you'd like some snacks and-"

Amelie joined her side, and Gabe was certain he had entered hell if Satan herself appeared. "You start as soon as you're healed and ready," she told him, and that got everyone's attention.

"Really?" Angela asked her, which led to everyone else voicing their annoyance and dismay. Even Lena voiced her disagreement to Amelie who finally raised her hands in surrender.

"Fine...you start after one week."

"Of paid leave," Jack interrupted, and everyone raised their fists, yelling their support until Amelie finally agreed.

Gabe rolled his eyes at the scene before thanking everyone, asking Lena what she had brought him. A bright grin was on her face as she put the bag at the edge of the bed, slowly taking out unhealthy snacks and drinks. Gabe could practically feel heart disease with each new addition, but smiled and thanked her. He was prepared to turn and ask Angela what happened before Lena gasped, reaching back into the back to pull out-

"Yogurt!" he gasped, and Lena's infectious grin returned.

"Yep! Jack gave me five dollars to get you as much as possible!" she told him, and Gabe looked over to said man, who was reading his magazine. At the feeling of everyone's eyes, he looked up, faking ignorance.

"What?" he said, and Angela sighed loudly before squeezing Gabe's hand.

"Don't be put off by his grumpiness right now. He was so woried," she told him, and he scoffed at her words, rolling his eyes. She frowned, smacking his hand lightly. "Don't be like that. He practically destroyed the cafe to get to you once he arrived," she told him, and she randomly burst into giggles. "He even told the paramedics you two were married so he could ride in the ambulance with you," she whispered, and Gabe couldn't help but break out in laughter at how ridiculous that sounded.

"You're kidding," he insisted and she shook her head, and cowboy raised his hand.

"I can conclude that Miss Angela is telling nothing but the truth," he told Gabe, who smirked and looked over at Jack, who's face was as red as the bubblegum Lena brought him. He looked ashamed, grumbling a "what? I thought they'd hurt you" before going back to his magazine.

Angela winked at Gabe who sighed, and soon Lena launched into a long story about how the business of the place has surprisingly gone up. It'd earned a new reputation of being a hotspot for action and drama.

Gabe was half heartedly paying attention and being involved with the conversation, nodding here and there and smiling at the funny bits. But he was more focused on Jack, who was looking around as though he were expecting someone. But no one was outside the room, and it seemed like everyone from the cafe who really knew him was already there.

If anyone noticed, no one showed it, instead conversing with one another like old friends. But to Gabe, Jack's paranoia stuck out like another toe, and he no matter how interesting Lena's stories got he couldn't be pulled away from watching Jack with quick glances and side eyes.

Morrison abruptly looked at his phone, looking up and then behind him before excusing himself for the bathroom, nevermind that there was one in the room. Gabe watched him leave, mind spinning with questions as to where he was going as Jack exited his view.

He started the glass wall for a few moments longer before Angela said his name, regaining his attention. He provided a small, apologetic smile before saying, "Sorry, I'm just really fucking tired." It wasn't a lie, either. Ever since waking up his first thought was going back to sleep and regaining some energy. His chest hurt along with his stomach, a dull ache that wouldn't go away.

Thankfully, his friends seemed to understand and backed off, placing the snacks back in the bag and leaving it next to Jack's chair. They bid him farewell, Angela promising she'd be back tomorrow during her break.

And so he was left alone in his room, sun gone to the moon and darkness exposing the stars. Gabe counted the stars for a while, trying to find the constellations until a nurse came in. "Your nightly medicine," she informed him before administering it. "Should help prevent infection and such," she explained and he nodded, prepared to ask for more details until exhaustion washed over him. He sank back into his pillows, an understanding smile on the nurse's face. "Do you require anything, Mr Reyes?" she asked, and he gave a groggy shake of his head before she left.

Gabe knew he should stay awake and interrogate Jack, ask him why he left and what was going on. But sleep pulled at him, taking him away from his anxiety and fears. He didn't even notice the fingers intertwining with his own, only briefly catching bright blue eyes before falling asleep.

Jack was pissed. No, Jack was furious. There was no way Amari would drug Gabe with the highly confidential and dangerous steroid Jack was too familiar with. She was a close friend of Gabe's, set in her ways and bowing to no one. She would not betray him, and she would not endanger the life of an innocent man.

There was only one explanation: the Military.

He stalked through the hallways to try and find decent enough cell service so he could make a call to the necessary people and demand for answers, but he didn't need to. He turned the corner to find the men in question waiting for him.

With a growl Jack approached them, hands clenched into fists and a scowl on his face. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Targeting innocent civilians now? This is violating the Constitution!" he hissed, and the men did not even appear phased. They looked the same as they always did; composed, eloquent and dangerous.

"You know as well as any informed personnel that this program is exempt of the Constitution, instead following its own rules," one man said, and Jack clenched his jaw, knowing that damn well. He put his hands on his hips, shaking his head.

"But why Gabe?" he demanded, and the men looked at each other.

"He is a candidate for a new method of our program, and is apart of a test group," they informed him, and Jack laughed, appalled.

"You can't do that. You don't have his consent," Jack said, confused as to their motivations and their reasons.

The other man who rarely spoke reached into a suitcase, and he felt deja vu at the situation. He assumed it would be another consent form, but he was proven wrong as he was handed a packet of a new law. "What is this?" he asked the men.

"A new law upholding the legality of this new program."

Jack read over the packet, still in the dark as to what this new program was. "New program?" he asked, unsure if he wanted the answer. But if this involved Gabe, it involved him. After all, he had told the fucking hospital they were married in Vermont.

"As of today, we can now officially test on unsuspecting subjects the effects of our new drug, Pagoda. And the first test subject of many is Gabriel Reyes, codename Reaper."


End file.
